Even though he’d already decided to leave Aster, and thus acquiring ID wasn’t an immediate need, but seeing as it was something he’d need no matter where he went, he’d decided that getting one as soon as possible was still the wiser decision.
Additionally, were he to join the adventurer’s guild here in Aster, given the relationship between Aster and Nelferia, his guild membership would automatically be valid in Nelferia as well.
Finally, among the information he’d gleaned from the books in the palace library, he’d learned that the adventurer’s guild was a rather unique existence among guilds – they accepted anyone and everyone.
When it came to other guilds, particularly crafting guilds – the merchant’s guild, for example, which existed to preserve commodity prices and establish trade routes – created by those who belonged to a specific craft, commissions dealt with the provision of needed materials. Most of these thus had entrance requirements, necessitating either prior experience in the field or a guarantor.
The adventurer’s guild, however, operated by different rules. Stated rather bluntly, even someone without so much as a penny to their name could easily join the guild; as long as you could handle the work, nothing else mattered.
That notwithstanding, the adventurer’s guild was not to be taken lightly either. What mattered most to the guild was skill and reliability. As guild commissions consisted of dangerous tasks such as monster hunting or frontier exploration, trust had to be earned before one would be entrusted with commissions. As might be expected of such a place, normal people never visited the guild unless they had requests of such a nature to make. For this reason, those without combat ability would not be accepted into the guild ranks.
On that note, why would Suimei, a magician, not aim to join the mage’s guild instead? Well, understanding that requires an understanding of what makes the mage’s guild unique. In this world, magic and swordsmanship are together the twin pillars of martial force. Accordingly, magic is a treasured weapon when nation wars with nation, and subsequently, the mage’s guild is an integral part of each nation’s military.
More specifically, members of the mage’s guild were only allowed to wield their powers on behalf of their host nation.
When it came to Suimei, both his magic and research were something that he would only ever wield on behalf of the Magician’s Society which shared his ideals. He would never give a moment’s consideration to doing so on behalf of another organization, and so the mage’s guild had been eliminated outright as an option.
Moreover, in order to avoid leaks of intel, when members of the mages guild crossed international borders, they did so under heavy restrictions and per specific procedures which would prove an unneeded hindrance to Suimei’s goals.
Simply put, the mage’s guild was different from other guilds in that it was under the direct management of the nation itself. Obtaining ID from the mage’s guild simply wasn’t a preferable choice in light of that fact.
From what he’d gathered of what he’d heard from Felmenia and Reiji, who’d been under her tutelage, this world had no notion of magic systems. Magic was likely something they employed rather recklessly. Of course, there was always the possibility this was simply due to his unfamiliarity with their world – something which concerned him greatly. Unfortunately, failing a propitious encounter, he would likely never have the opportunity to find out the truth.
Collecting his thoughts as he walked, he soon arrived at the adventurer’s guild.
The building was, like those around it, a two-story, wooden structure.
Erected before the building itself was a sign with a name, “Twilight Pavilion” in huge letters; the sign giving one the feeling that they were standing before a restaurant or a bar of some sort. Posted before the door stood two guards in plate mail.
Structurally, the building didn’t really look that different from the others around it. If a difference had to be highlighted, it would only be that the space it occupied was vast indeed.
Cities in this world – Mehter not being alone in this – had massive, 20-meter tall walls encircling them to prevent attack from both invaders and monsters. Thus, the amount of space allotted a city was fixed and consequently buildings were small and thin, and typically two or three stories tall.